Annual New Year's lotteries in Germany to take place once more this upcoming year
In several federal states across Germany, a special New Year's Eve tradition takes place: the offering of a unique lottery known as the Glücksrakete, with a main prize of 250,000 euros. However, contrary to popular belief, Germany does not appear to offer distinct New Year's Eve lotteries with unique main prizes tailored to each federal state. Instead, the country participates in national and some transnational lotteries that may hold special draws around New Year's Eve.
One such national lottery is the Lotto 6 aus 49, which is held across the country. Traditional lottery draws like GlücksSpirale often have special New Year's Eve draws with major prizes, including annuities or large sums of money. Another transnational lottery, the Eurojackpot, features very large jackpots, but it is not specific to New Year's Eve or to individual federal states.
Despite the lack of state-specific New Year's Eve lotteries, several federal states offer special lotteries with significant main prizes. For instance, the federal state of Baden-Württemberg offers the Silvester-Millionen, which boasts 7 chances to win 1 million euros. In Bavaria, the BayernMILLIONEN offers a top prize of 1 million euros, while Rhineland-Palatinate hosts the NEUJAHRS-MILLION with the same prize.
These lotteries, each with a different name such as New Year's Eve lottery, Millionenknacker, Silvester-Millionen, BayernMILLIONEN, NEUJAHRS-MILLION, and Glücksrakete, guarantee a win if the drawn number matches the one on your ticket. North Rhine-Westphalia hosts the Millionenknacker, with a top prize of 1 million euros, while smaller wins are also possible.
The jackpot in the September 2023 New Year's Eve lottery was a forced payout of 45 million euros, making it the highest prize ever recorded in a New Year's Eve lottery in Germany. The draws for these lotteries typically take place on December 31st. The dates and specifics for these New Year's Eve lotteries may vary depending on the federal state and lottery company.
In recent years, the highest prize ever recorded in a New Year's Eve lottery was 45 million euros, both in 2022 and 2023. The jackpot in the New Year's Eve lottery was last won in September 2023 by two players from Hesse and Lower Saxony.
For those seeking detailed information on any specific lottery's New Year draw or prize structure within Germany, it is recommended to refer to the official lottery operator websites or announcements for the current year. New Year's Eve lotteries remain a popular and well-received event, often selling out weeks before the draw.
Online casinos in Germany offer various casino-gaming options, such as slot machines, poker, and roulette, that can be played from the comfort of one's home. Meanwhile, the gambling trends in the country continue to evolve, with lotteries becoming increasingly popular, especially during special events like New Year's Eve.
